United Airlines loan rejected
CHICAGO -- United Airlines lost its third and final try for a government loan guarantee Monday when a federal board rejected its latest bid and insisted the bankrupt carrier can survive without one.

Bank One Corp. agrees to settle
CHICAGO -- Bank One Corp. agreed Tuesday on the eve of its final day as an independent company to settle regulators' allegations that it allowed a hedge fund to make improper mutual fund trades.

Self Help
Read a list of self help groups in St. Johns County with contact information and scheduled meeting times.

News Notes
Read about news, meetings and upcoming events in St. Augustine.

Secrist honored as distinguished educator
Heather Secrist, a fourth grade teacher at R.B. Hunt Elementary School, was honored recently as a Distinguished Educator at the University of Florida's 2004 spring semester commencement. Secrist represented St. Johns County School District.

'Pelican Pete' book signing Saturday at the lighthouse
Frances and Hugh Keiser, creators of the award-winning series of Pelican Pete children's books, will sign copies of their work at an appearance from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.

Pedro teens lend a helping hand to Habitat
This spring, Pedro Menendez High School students hammered, drilled and sweated under the steamy afternoon sun while building a new home for an elderly man on Knowlton Street.

Neighbors: News, notes from the Northwest ...
Start your Fourth of July off with a spectacular medley of songs, a memorial to fallen soldiers and several powerful ballads, which will round out a celebration of God and country.

Column of the Day: Bridge Results
St. Augustine Duplicate Bridge Club members who scored well statewide in the recent set of sectional tournament at clubs games were: Friday -- Bill McCallon and Joe Houde, first of 416 pairs with a huge 75.52 percent game; Harish Hemrajani, sixth; Marion Harstedt and Charles Seymour, eighth; and Joe Ur and Tom Wiley, eighth in Flight C.

Collections begin for next Cuba shipment as June 21 shipment arrives and is distributed
Two containers filled with humanitarian aid left the port of Jacksonville on June 21, destined for Cuba. This fete was a joint effort between the Boulder, Colo.-Yateras (near Guantanamo) Sister City Association; Caribbean Medical Transport To Cuba and the St. Augustine-Baracoa Friendship Association. The ship was due to arrive in Cuba on June 24.

Clapton's guitar helps raise $7.4 million
One of Eric Clapton's prize guitars sold for a record $959,500 at an auction that raised more than $7.4 million for a drug treatment center, auction officials said.

Keeping You in Stitches®
Over the years I have reviewed many books on various subjects. Most are about sewing, but many about quilting, needlework, leather work, embroidery stitching, and yes, even knitting.

Dr. Donohue: Too much vitamin popping is not a good idea
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you please do an article on vitamin popping? My 90-year-old husband (yes, 90) was released from the hospital and was prescribed every conceivable vitamin in addition to a multiple vitamin. He takes 13 vitamin pills a day. His doctor told him to taper off and then to take only one multivitamin pill a day. Three months later, I can't get him to do that. Just how much vitamin is too much? -- Anon.

Friend says Peterson spoke of how to dispose of a body
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) -- A friend of Scott Peterson's claimed Peterson told him nine years ago that if he ever killed someone, he would dump the weighted-down corpse in the ocean and let the fish eat it, a detective testified Tuesday.

EPA: 22 states have unhealthful air from soot
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. counties that are home to nearly 100 million people appear to flunk federal air standards because of microscopic soot from diesel-burning trucks, power plants and other sources, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

FPL Energy to build wind farm in Okla.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A Florida company announced Monday it will build a 3,800-acre wind farm in western Oklahoma and sell power to Public Service Company of Oklahoma in the largest wind power purchase agreement in the state.

U.S. hand over power early to Iraqis
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's new leaders reclaimed their nation two days early, accepting limited power Monday from U.S. occupiers, who wished them prosperity and handed them a staggering slate of problems -- including a lethal insurgency the Americans admit they underestimated.

An "outsider" to some, Allawi faces daunting task
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iyad Allawi, the prime minister who took power in Iraq on Monday, is dismissed by militant Shiites and Sunnis as a puppet of the Americans. To many Iraqis, he is an out-of-touch "outsider" who has no popular base.

For the Record
There's limited seating available for a free viewing of "St. Augustine Remembers," on July 15 at 7 p.m. at The Record, State Roads 312 and 207.

Be prepared for skeeter onslaught
Bloodsuckers are likely to begin hatching in the county soon due to recent showers and thunderstorms, according to Mary Tarver Willis, chairman of Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County.

Draft board looking for three members
The national Selective Service System said this week it needs volunteers willing to fill three vacant seats on Northeast Florida's five-member draft board.

Citizen-begun initiative taking root in Putnam neighborhood
PALATKA -- Even as Police Chief Gary Getchell was preparing to accept a certificate declaring Palatka an official Weed and Seed site Tuesday, he warned his audience, "This is where the real work begins. The last two years have just been the preliminary."

Residents critique A1A plans
Using green and red stickers, residents from the Vilano Beach area told engineers and designers Monday exactly what they wanted State Road A1A to look like in the coming years.

Developer wants to build around bones
A developer is one step closer to building his 9-single family home subdivision on Tremerton Street, where about 100 American Indian remains were recently found.

Police Report: Local resident cleared
A St. Augustine man has been cleared of wrongdoing after being charged Jan. 28 with armed robbery and petit theft. All charges were dropped and his record was cleared by a St. Johns County judge.

Sylvia Elizabeth Long
Sylvia Elizabeth Long, 87, of St. Augustine, died June 27, 2004, at Ponce de Leon Care Center. She was a native and lifelong resident of St. Augustine. She was a retired telephone operator for Southern Bell, and a member of Grace United Methodist Church.

Harold G. Cooke
Harold G. Cooke, 76, of St. Augustine, died June 27, 2004, at his daughter's home in Jacksonville. He was a native of Detroit, Mich., and had resided here since 1989. He was a heat curer for Bronze Auto Parts, a driver for the St. Johns County Council on Aging and a member of the U.S. Navy. He was of the Baptist faith.

Claire Pare Cowette
Claire Pare Cowette, 73, of St. Augustine, died June 26, 2004, at Roberts Care Center of Palatka. She was born in Connecticut and had lived in Palatka, Melrose and Keystone Heights, before settling in St. Augustine. She owned and operated her own cleaning service and later went to work at a convenience store. She was a member of Lake Hill Baptist Church in Keystone Heights.

Sylvia Elizabeth Long
Sylvia Elizabeth Long, 87, of St. Augustine, died June 27, 2004, at Ponce de Leon Care Center. She was a native and lifelong resident of St. Augustine. She was a retired telephone operator for Southern Bell, and a member of Grace United Methodist Church.

Newton Alexander Colee
Newton Alexander "Newt" Colee, 69, of Bartow, died June 26, 2004, at his home. He was a native of St. Augustine and had lived in Bartow for the past 24 years, moving from Jacksonville Beach. He was a comptroller and was employed by Citrus & Chemical Bank. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club; past president of the Jacksonville Beach Kiwanis Club; Navy League Club, Beefeaters Club, and the Quarterback Club, all in Jacksonville. He was of the Catholic faith.

Julia M. Gilliard
Julia M. Gilliard, 88, of Jacksonville, died June 27, 2004, at Doctor's Lake, Orange Park. She was a native of Perry, Ga., and had resided in Jacksonville for the past 61 years. She was a member of Abyssinia Baptist Church in Jacksonville.

Norma Nuttall
Norma Nuttall, 77, of St. Augustine, died June 24, 2004, at Flagler Hospital. She was a homemaker and a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Charles R. Eller
Charles R. "Chuck" Eller, 78, of Elkton, died June 27, 2004, at St. Johns Health Care Center. He was born in Danville, Ill., and had resided here since 1947, moving here from Green Cove Springs. He was retired from Frito Lay, having worked as a salesman. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, past master of Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F&AM, past patron of St. Augustine Chapter No. 12 O.E.S., a former member of the Morocco Temple, and a member of Ancient City Baptist Church.

Xavier Verbeck
Xavier Verbeck, formerly professor of economics at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he also chaired the Department of History, Government and Economics, died at home in St. Augustine on June 26, 2004. Survivors include his wife, Brenda Verbeck; his children: Christina Stallings, Mark, Gregory, Bennett and Laurence Verbeck, and Rusty, Laurie and Michael Boris; his grandchildren: Helena, Brendan and Patrick Stallings, Sage, Cory, Nikita and Angelina Boris, Hudson, Tatum, and Christopher Verbeck. Also his brother, Charles de Kepper. His sister, Therese Gotfroid, predeceased him.

Perspective: Summer de-programming for your children
Parents who are worried because their children are receiving a steady diet of politically correct propaganda in the schools and colleges often ask for suggestions of things they should get for their children to read, in hopes of de-programming them.

Perspective: Wake up America to the cost of freedom
This is a response to Mr. Pieper and the other Bush bashers, Republican haters and Michael Moores here in the United States. I find it disturbing that anyone would ask what is the difference in what those radical Islam, American-hating scum bags did to us on 9-11 and what we are doing in Iraqi. To even compare this is so absurd. If it weren't so serious it would be laughable. You just don't get it, do you?

Letter: Weapons of mass deception
Editor: As one of the millions of frontline demonstrators against America's invasion of Iraq, I recall three instances that stand out in the barrage of hyper-patriotism leading up to and during the initial invasion.

Letter: Thank you for supporting Anne Frank project
Editor: Temple Bet Yam and the Limelight Theatre just wrapped up a unique joint venture. The temple, with a grant from the Community Foundation of Jacksonville, brought the national exhibit, "The Anne Frank Story," to St. Augustine's Limelight Theatre during the period that the Limelight Theatre put on "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Letter: Nurse helps patient
Editor: This letter is written in gratitude to the staff of Dr. Marathe of South Park, St. Augustine. I am a patient of Dr. Marathe's and have been since I moved here some 31/2 years ago from Massachusetts. With this came numerous medical problems which would take up too much space.

Former champions Federer and Hewitt lead the way
WIMBLEDON, England -- Defending champion Roger Federer extended his grass-court winning streak to 21 matches Monday, setting up a showdown with 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

USADA: Running amok or trying to keep up
WASHINGTON -- I keep reading columns arguing that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is on a witch hunt to get Marion Jones, and that the real crimes in the Great American Steroid Hunt are being committed by the investigators. I come away from these columns feeling that I'm supposed to think Marion Jones is being examined unfairly.

Orlando trades McGrady for Francis in multiplayer deal
HOUSTON -- In a blockbuster deal that gives the Houston Rockets one of basketball's most intriguing tandems, Tracy McGrady was traded to Houston in a multiplayer deal that sent Steve Francis to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Raptors hire Sam Mitchell as head coach
TORONTO -- Sam Mitchell understands there might be questions about his inexperience as a head coach going into his first season leading the Toronto Raptors.

Miami recruit admits violating probation
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- University of Miami football recruit Willie Williams admitted violating probation Tuesday on a burglary conviction, but the university has told attorneys that the standout linebacker still might be admitted.

Terrorism expert: Need to balance civil rights against security
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The United States will lose its character if the nation's leaders aren't careful to balance civil rights against security needs, the chair of a congressional commission on terrorism told a convention of homeland security workers on Monday.

Cuban-Americans are preparing for new restrictions on travel home
MIAMI -- A day before tough new U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba went into effect, hundreds of Cuban-Americans scrambled to get onto packed flights Tuesday to visit their families in the communist nation. Many were angry that there weren't enough seats for them all.

U.S. expels two guards for spying
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States expelled two security guards at Iran's U.N. mission for photographing "sensitive" sites in New York after two previous warnings about such picture-taking, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Leader of attack in Russia killed in special operation
VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia (AP) -- An alleged leader of last week's rebel attack in the Russian region of Ingushetia was killed in a special operation and 10 other suspected attackers have been detained, officials said Monday.

Palestinians rain more rockets on border town
SDEROT, Israel -- Palestinian militants rocketed this Israeli border town Tuesday during a visit by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, underscoring Israel's helplessness in stopping the crude projectiles launched from the Gaza Strip.

Saddam Hussein due in court Thursday
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqis and the world will get their first glimpse of Saddam Hussein since his capture in December when he and 11 of his top lieutenants are brought to court Thursday to face war crimes charges.

Londoners avoid subway strike
LONDON (AP) -- Evening rush hour began early in London on Tuesday, as many people left work ahead of schedule to get home before a subway strike began.